Return to work after heart transplantation: 12-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Current statistics show that 50% of heart transplantation recipients survive 10 years or more. Emphasis on cost containment has renewed interest in the employment status of these long-term survivors. METHODS: We have identified 62 patients operated on at one United Kingdom center and evaluated their employment and clinical status by interview at 1, 5, and 12 years from surgery. RESULTS: Employment pattern was good, with 69%, 69% (of 55 survivors), and 57% (of 35 survivors) of the group working at 1, 5, and 12 years, respectively. Blue-collar work status per se was not a deterrent to employment, but older patients with a poor presurgical work history were less successful in finding work, and trade and legislative restrictions forced some, who were willing and capable of returning to their previous employment, into lower paid, less satisfactory jobs. CONCLUSIONS: Subgroups of patients who are likely to be unemployed can be identified prior to surgery. Steps can be taken prior to surgery to anticipate future problems, and establish realistic employment goals.